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The Danbury
Hatters Case
 The
"Hat City" of Danbury made news in 1902 when hat manufacturer,
Dietrich Loewe, refused to
recognize the hatters’ union. Most of his employees went on strike,
lured by the promise of higher union wages. Loewe resumed work with
a scab crew, and the striking workers organized a boycott. The
boycott was carried to other states wherever Loewe’s hats were sold.
Loewe began a lawsuit, and after six
years in federal courts, the U.S. Supreme Court in 1908 ruled
against the strikers. Seven years later, the Court again decided in
favor of Loewe upholding a lower federal court ruling allowing him
to collect damages. Faced with the possibility of losing their
homes, the workers’ union organized a "Hatters’ Day" asking for an
hour’s pay from members to help pay the
fines.
See:
Loewe v. Lawlor, 208 U.S. 274 (1908), 235 U.S. 522 (1915)
Dose
of Connecticut Legal History
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